Leading states and regions collaborate on EVs

Date

08 June 2012

NEW YORK: On May 30, The Climate Group States and Regions Alliance and the Government of Quebec hosted a discussion with a group of the world’s leading state and regional governments on policies to promote the deployment of electric vehicles.

The discussion was the first in a series to take place under the newly launched EV Policy Initiative – a forum for sub-national governments to share experiences and best practices on EV policy.

The discussion shed light on a number of the key challenges and opportunities facing state and regional governments today in the implementation of EV policies. Insights included:

increasing consumer awareness is a top priority for governments

corporate fleets areseen as critical early adopters

identifying the ideal public charging model remains a challenge.

Gabriel Audet, representing the government of Quebec, said: “The EV20 Policy Initiative is of great value to the Government of Québec because it allows our policy makers to gain insights into leading state and regional governments’ innovative EV policies, and to discuss topics relevant to the implementation of Québec’s EV Action Plan.”

Evan Juska, Head of US Policy, The Climate Group, said: “In many cases, these governments are pioneering – working to achieve something that has never before been achieved. So the learnings that come out of a group like this can be really eye-opening, and can serve as a guide for others.”

The EV20 Policy Initiative will further explore these and other issues in the coming months. A follow up discussion focusing on ways governments can effectively increase consumer awareness is planned for August.